It's no surprise [to me] that the new Star Trek movie catapulted well Beyond into first place this weekend... Get it?! It knocked The Secret Life of Pets into second, which was a spot I thought may be taken by Ice Age: Collision Course. Guess it may have to rely on international revenue. In fact, third through fifth was pretty much a three-way tie, leaving the new Ghostbusters at the bottom of the heap, despite claims it would do much better in its second weekend. I'm guessing that was based on the belief of word-of-mouth? Not looking good, it's all downhill from here.

The 2016 Comic-Con has come and gone and I will be highlighting a few of the movie trailers revealed during the event. Unfortunately, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Valerian are being kept under wraps for now, but hopefully will be officially released sooner than later! Generally I avoid posting multiple trailers for a single movie (they have around three now, plus a teaser trailer), but this is a special occasion! Besides, one teaser trailer and one full trailer isn't so bad.

This is a great full trailer for the next Marvel Studio feature film. We get a little more info on the plot, introduction to more characters, and also a more cohesive glimpse at the villain of the movie. Without looking up the casting, I honestly can't tell who is who, because I'm that unfamiliar with the comics, but I think that gets me even more excited about the movie. I plan to discover most of what I know, aside from random team-ups with Spider-Man and such, from the direction they take the character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

I notice a lot of Inception-esque scenes going on, and I imagine these scenes are a lot more confusing, so hopefully it won't get too crazy and convoluted. Also, love that ending line about the Wifi!

Here we get a bit more details on the plot of the movie, which honestly surprised me. I guess I had assumed that the entire movie revolved around Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne — Jupiter Ascending, The Theory of Everything) and his friend Jacob (Dan Fogler — Kung Fu Panda, Balls of Fury) exploring and capturing random creatures. It seems, however, that Scamander has lost a handful of his little (and not so little) beasts and has to find them before it incites a war with the "No-Maj", a term that came before Muggle? So it sounds a lot more involved than originally believing, which is a very good thing.

This movie is going to be full of awesome special effects and the humor and camaraderie between the two main protagonists looks like it's going to be hilarious! The film also stars Colin Farrell (Total Recall, Phone Booth), Jon Voight (Transformers, Deliverance), and Carmen Ejogo (Selma, Away We Go), among others.

This is one animated film I'm really excited about. Will Arnett (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Arrested Development) reprising his role as Lego Batman, a role very befitting for him, who may face his greatest challenge yet: Parenthood. Seems he's adopted a son and now he has to show him the ropes. I'm sure, as the trailer alludes, there's bound to be shenanigans galore.

It looks like the Justice League will be involved, so I'm really hoping they put in some jokes regarding the Batman v Supermanmovie, like I mentioned in my original post. They also tease The Joker, and I'm sure there will be a handful of other villain joining the fray, which will likely be revealed in future trailers. I have high hopes for The LEGO Batman Movie, so they better not let me down!

Kong: Skull Island (3/10/2017):

Hmm... I'm not sure how I feel about this movie. I wasn't a huge fan of the original King Kong reboot, however, I do like most of the major cast involved in this prequel (remake?) — Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager, Thor), Brie Larson (Room, Short Term 12), Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight, Goodfellas), John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane, The Gambler). The scene depicted between Jackson and Goodman alone looks badass.

Don't get me wrong, I love King Kong, I just hope this picture does the classic justice. I can't deny the trailer is really well done. I only question the one scene where everyone turns around and everyone starts shooting in unison. I mean, at that point in the film they could have already encountered some crazy shit, but it just seemed a bit overly preemptive to me. Then again, if I was on some lost island with giant prehistoric creatures I'm sure I'd subscribe to the "shoot first, ask questions later" policy too!

The trailer has great buildup with the voice over, full of action and suspense riddled blips, with partial Kong revelations, before cutting out. So if nothing else, they know how to make a great trailer that really intrigues me, leaving me wanting to know more.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (3/24/2017):

Despite a supposedly leaving a weak impression to Comic-Con goers this weekend, I personally think this movie looks good. At first, in the very first few lines listening to Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim, Green Street Hooligans), it was hard to detach from his role in Sons of Anarchy. Eventually I did, and I think I enjoyed the trailer much more. I've always been fascinated with King Arthur, Merlin and all things Camelot. From books to cartoons to plays to movies (both children and adult).

This time Guy Ritchie (Revolver, Snatch) takes the helm and sure enough you can see his stylized format in the trailer. There is bound to be slow motion and witty quips galore! Some people dislike his take on the Sherlock Holmes movies, but I'm a fan. I'm really hoping he doesn't drop the ball on this franchise. I've read it was touted as a six movie deal? I guess a third Sherlock is out of the question?!

Some others involved in the project are Eric Bana (Munich, Something in the Air), Jude Law (Spy, Enemy at the Gates), Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle, Body of Lies), and Djimon Hounsou (Guardians of the Galaxy, Blood Diamond). I have to be honest, I think I'm going to try to see this in theaters. Hopefully it gains more attention over the coming months and does well.

Wonder Woman (6/2/2017):

So, I've known of Wonder Woman for a long time, but I have never read any comics or watched any previous TV shows based on the character. In the trailer for Batman v Superman, where she is introduced, he entrance seemed way, way over the top. I was already iffy about that movie, and that scene wasn't helping. Nor the ones with Doomsday. Suffice it to say, I wasn't very hopeful on her big screen adaptation, which many (including myself) hoped would be epic.

From the sounds of it, though, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot — Triple 9, Furious 7) stole the show, so to speak, in the movie and this trailer for her standalone is pretty awesome! Chris Pine's (Carriers, Bottle Shock) character seems sheepishly charismatic. The banter between the two leads is on point and the chemistry definitely seems to be present. I'm not sure if there is going to be a romance, if there is actually a main villain, or if it's basically an origins and war story. Or all of the above? Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing Wonder Woman!

Justice League (11/17/2017):

I apologize in advance, but I won't have any blurbs about Justice League until I get down to business on watching Batman v Superman. I've heard way too many stories of disappointment surrounding the film and the doomsayers of any future unified DC Universe project. From the sounds of it, though, this surprise Comic-Con trailer (along with Wonder Woman, I'm sure) restore a lot of the much needed faith in the fans wanting to see this universe come to fruition.

Once I get on track, I'll check this out and share my thoughts. Enjoy!

Did any of the featured movies interest you? What do you think of the new Doctor Strange trailer? Are you familiar with any of the new characters introduced? Were you expecting a different storyline from the teaser trailer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Do you wish you were a wizard? Are you ready for some LEGO Batman antics? What other DC characters do you think will show up in the animated film? Are you a fan of the classic King Kong movies or reboot? Do you think this new movie will do the classics justice? What's your favorite depiction of King Arthur? Do you feel the trailer for the new King Arthur movie encompasses the correct atmosphere for the story? Are you familiar with the source material for Wonder Woman? Are you excited for the character's big screen adaptation? Do you think the Justice League trailer looks good? Do you think it can save the DC Cinematic Universe?

It’s been a long while, so I thought I would give a brief look into the reason(s) behind my absence. You’ll have to forgive my potentially awkward, stilted jibber-jabber. It may take some time for me to get warmed up…

Dreams in the Shade of Ink is back with more Flash Fiction for the A to Z Challenge 2017! Last year my segments throughout April painted a puzzled tapestry of prose and I hope to provide some new, entertaining stories that you'll enjoy!

recent META

The A to Z Challenge 2017 is over and it's time to reflect on how the event went! There were booster pack openings, there were storylines and mechanics to observe within the world of Magic: The Gathering!

Join me as I discuss the ups and downs of this year's Magic Mixer theme.

This year for the A to Z Challenge 2017 Meta MTG presents the Magic Mixer! What's that mean? Your guess is as good as mine... What I do know, however, is that this year's theme is obviously still all about Magic: The Gathering!

Join me as I attempt to highlight a different Magic set each day of the challenge in different ways, from pack openings to discussions about a set's storyline and/or mechanics!